✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

exploration

noun

ex·​plo·​ra·​tion ˌek-splə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce exploration (audio)
-ˌsplȯ-
Synonyms of explorationnext
: the act or an instance of exploring
explorational adjective

Examples of exploration in a Sentence

a topic for scholarly exploration the early exploration of the West early explorations of the West
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The convergence of these two crafts allows not only for aesthetic exploration, but also becomes a way to honour manual labor as a poetic gesture and a quiet form of resistance to industrial standardisation. Photovogue, Vogue, 5 Dec. 2025 Your barista will consider your preferences, then take you through an exploration of varietals, roasters, processing and brew methods. Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 4 Dec. 2025 Zanzibar launched its first licensing round for oil and gas exploration in 2024 after prising responsibility for managing energy rights from Tanzania. MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025 One is the exploration challenge, where a robot learning from scratch may fail repeatedly without ever discovering the correct sequence of actions. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for exploration

Word History

First Known Use

1537, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of exploration was in 1537

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Exploration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exploration. Accessed 11 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

exploration

noun
ex·​plo·​ra·​tion ˌek-splə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce exploration (audio)
: the act or an instance of exploring

More from Merriam-Webster on exploration

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!